California Department of Transportation

WORK BEGINS TO EASE COMMUTE ON I-80 IN BAY AREA

ALAMEDA/CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES - Work began this morning on an $80
million technology-laden project to make life easier on one of the Bay Area’s
busiest commuter corridors, Interstate 80.

When completed, traffic signals on surface streets will be in better synch
with onramp meters and computerized highway signs, helping cars and buses better
share the road during rush hour. The Interstate 80 Integrated Corridor Mobility
Project is the result of a partnership between Caltrans, the Alameda County
Transportation Commission and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.

“We’re working together to help people get to work easier and faster,” said
Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “This is a good example of how technology
can help us make better use of the roads we already have.”

The project includes $66 million in Proposition 1B funds, the voter-approved
transportation bond passed in 2006, which are awarded by the California
Transportation Commission.

The project is a cooperative effort between the ten municipalities along the
corridor (Oakland, Emeryville, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, San
Pablo, Pinole, Hercules, and the unincorporated areas representing Contra Costa
County); AC Transit; WestCAT, and the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory
Committee.

The project also relies on voter-approved local sales tax measures,
approximately $2.8 million from the Alameda County Measure B half-cent sales
tax, and $5 million from the Contra Costa Measure J half-cent sales tax.

“With an investment of $5 million in Contra Costa’s Measure J half-cent sales
tax, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority has leveraged more than $76
million in state and other regional funds to improve traffic flow and safety
along one of the most congested corridors in the Bay Area,” said CCTA Chair Don
Tatzin.

The corridor includes I-80 from the I-80/580/880 interchange in Oakland to
the Carquinez Bridge, San Pablo Avenue, and the arterials that lead to I-80. The
improvements include adaptive ramp metering with commuter bypass lanes at some
of the metered ramps; active management of traffic during freeway incidents
using variable advisory speed limits and lane management on the freeway and
coordinated traffic signal timing on local streets; bus priority at traffic
signals and at some metered ramps; enhanced traveler information; and the
coordinated operation of all of these components – collectively referred to as
the I-80 Integrated Corridor Mobility (ICM) project.

“Safer and more efficient and reliable traffic flows along I-80 are essential
to the current and future vitality of the Bay Area,” said Alameda CTC Chair Mark
Green. “Alameda CTC is working to ensure that county and regional transportation
systems will run as smoothly as possible and keep up with demand as the Bay
Area’s population grows, using high-tech solutions to increase capacity on our
existing roadways. This project means time savings and greater convenience for
Bay Area residents and businesses
that rely on the I-80 corridor.”

“Drivers will benefit from this innovative use of technology,” said Caltrans
District 4 Director Bijan Sartipi. “When a traffic incident occurs, motorists
will be provided with real-time information to help them choose whether to
remain on the freeway, choose a detour, or travel to the nearest public transit
station.”

To date, the state has allocated nearly $14.5 billion in Proposition 1B funds
for transportation purposes statewide.